TELL US WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOUR JOURNEY WAS LIKE BEFORE CHAPITRE?
My name is Marie, I am a freelance illustrator and art director, and I am also the creator of the Chapitre brand. I have been working freelance for about ten years, which allows me to develop my other activities in parallel and to have more time than before when I was employed.
I started with fashion studies, then continued with visual communication. Afterwards, I worked in advertising, specializing in the perfume sector. During my fashion studies in Lyon, I did an internship at Christian Dior in the jewelry department. At that time, I already had a strong sensibility for fashion accessories.
After my studies, I became freelance and have been dedicating myself to illustration for ten years now. In 2022, I started developing Chapitre, and after a few months of preparation, I opened the store in 2023.
HOW DID CHAPITRE COME ABOUT?
My illustrations are mainly focused on fashion, perfume, jewelry and beauty... Always in the same universe. It was from these illustrations that I became interested in scarves. A few years ago, I decided to offer gifts to my clients and collaborators, and I designed a small scarf for that purpose. It was an ideal gift, easy to send by post. Naturally, I illustrated it, as that is my core business. The feedback was quite positive, even though at the time, it wasn't silk and wasn't hand-rolled. It was almost print-on-demand, made of polyester, so not really a quality product. Nevertheless, it was very popular.
About three years ago, after the birth of my children, I wanted to buy a scarf. Not finding what I was looking for on the market, I remembered that I could create it myself. I started exploring the possibilities of manufacturing in silk, with a beautiful finish, and made in France, as that was really a crucial point for me. Little by little, I decided to create a brand: design scarves and sell them.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE?
It depends on the day! For my first collection, I created five different colors: pink, green, blue, yellow, and black gold. I choose my scarf based on my mood and my outfit of the day. Depending on what you wear, you can match your scarf to a variety of color palettes. I think I've covered pretty much all the dominant colors.
YOUR VERY LATEST CREATION?
I received my latest prototype. I don't know yet if it will become a collection or just a new piece, but it's a rather personal project. I have a passion for airplanes, especially biplanes. So my next scarf will be more mixed, inspired by this passion. It's still in the prototype phase, but the print test is conclusive. It will look more or less like that!
YOUR TYPICAL DAY?
There is no typical day! I have so many different activities that I can't describe a day dedicated solely to Chapitre. Even for Chapitre, there are a multitude of tasks to accomplish: managing logistics, creating new designs, cleaning layers, preparing files for printing, handling brand communication, organizing photo shoots... Just getting known takes a lot of time and requires a wide variety of techniques. In addition to that, I am also an art director and illustrator, so my days are always very diverse.
YOUR BEST MEMORY SO FAR?
I think the most memorable moment was when I finally received the right prototype for my scarves. Let me explain how it happened!
For my products, I absolutely insisted that they be made in France with beautiful Lyon silk. So I called on a Lyon silk manufacturer to create prototypes. The first prototypes were very good, but on the day the final goods were delivered, I noticed that the printing was not correct. In fact, the ink had not penetrated the silk properly. When printing a silk scarf, the ink must show through to the other side so that both sides are identical, especially since my designs contain a lot of black. This was crucial for obtaining a quality scarf.
At that time, I had already done the photo shoot for my launch campaign, but I had to put everything aside and start from scratch. That's why the opening of my business took longer than expected.
I went back to look for another company in the Lyon region, capable of guaranteeing good ink penetration and clear, smudge-free colors. It was a real obstacle course! I made countless prototypes and conducted research to achieve a satisfactory result. In the end, I was on the verge of giving up. I received a final prototype and I told myself: "If this one isn't perfect, I'm giving up." To my great surprise and joy, it was perfect. I had finally found the right supplier capable of producing my scarves.
So I resumed production with this company, which is also labeled "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (Living Heritage Company).
YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS FOR CHAPITRE PARIS?
For my upcoming projects, I am currently working on my brand new scarf, which I need to finalize before marketing it. I also have other ideas for new designs. I don't know yet if I will develop them into complete collections, as I already have a base collection. Perhaps from now on, I will only work model by model.
For the moment, my items are only available in France via my website, but I am seriously considering opening internationally, particularly to the United States, as I have a lot of visits from that country.
In addition, next week, I will be present at Point Physique, which is also a great project.
Find the CHAPITRE brand on their e-shop https://chapitreparis.fr/